Dark and Stormy Night
by Muggle Jane
Summary: Luna loves to watch the sky when it's stormy. Fluffy, fluffy oneshot.


**A/N: Don't own any characters or canon situations.**

It was stormy that night like it hadn't been stormy in a very long time. Thunder rolled, lightning crashed, and the wind whipped up Diagon Alley fast enough that, if the buildings weren't held together by magic, shingles and signs would have littered the street. Everyone was tucked away inside where it was dry and warm, with cozy fires and hot drinks. Everyone, that is, except _her_.

A witch sat alone in the middle of the street. She was staring up at the sky, enraptured. Usually Diagon Alley was too busy for anyone to stop in the middle of the street, let alone sit down. That night, though, that night she was the only one out.

"Oi!" called a voice through the night. "Are you all right?"

She turned towards the dark shape, barely able to see through the driving rain, even with the light at the end of his wand. "Fine!" she called back cheerfully.

The owner of the voice neared enough to reveal himself as someone she knew well; a tall wizard with his normally red hair soaked and plastered to his head. "Luna?"

"Hello, Ronald," she greeted him pleasantly. "Did you come to watch the rain with me?"

"Someone flooed us, said there was a body in the street."

"Not a body, just me." She extended a soaked hand up to him. "Come and sit with me. I can't imagine too many people are about tonight to get up to no good."

He glanced around, then gingerly settled himself on the cold cobblestones beside her. "What're you doing, sitting out here in this?"

"I love watching storms." She gave him a serene and then turned her face up to the sky again.

"Can't you watch from your window?" He sounded somewhat concerned.

"Not here, the buildings are too close together and I can't see anything." She leaned her head against his cloak-covered shoulder. "Put your wand out, it's easier to see the lightning."

He did as she requested, sending off a Patronus before tucking the wand away in his robes. "When are you going back inside?"

"Inside?" she echoed. She hadn't really even considered that as an option yet. "Soon, I suppose. I don't really want to, but I expect I'll have to at some point. I have to open the shop tomorrow, and I should probably check on the animals." She sighed. "I don't want to, just yet." She paused, closing her hands around his arm. "I don't know why more people don't sit out here to watch the storm."

"It's a mystery, even to me," he replied drily.

"You're teasing me again, aren't you, Ronald?" She didn't bother to wait for an answer. "That's all right, I don't mind when you tease me. You only really tease the people you like, like your family and Harry. Not Hermione, though. She doesn't like it, does she?"

"Not... really." He seemed a little taken aback by her torrent of words.

"I think she needs to have more fun, but she never agrees to come out for me unless we're doing something entirely normal like having lunch. I asked her to come and watch the storm with me tonight." She wrinkled up her nose. "She said no, of course."

"This is actually sort-of nice." There was a note of surprise in his voice.

"Is it? I think so." They were both having to raise their voices to be heard over the sound of the rain driving into the cobblestones and the roofs of the nearby buildings. "I had a really good time last night."

"Did you? 'sgood. I did too." She could hear the smile in his voice. "I just wish I didn't have to work all night for the rest of the week."

"That is too bad. You could stop by for breakfast if you wanted." She was starting to shiver a little, her cloak was soaked through.

"I might." He paused for a moment. "You should go inside, Luna. Get warm and dry."

"What a splendid idea!" She unwrapped her hands from his arms and jumped to her feet, staring down at him. "Are you going to come in?"

He produced his wand and lit the end of it to check his watch. "I should probably get back..."

"You need to make sure I get home safely, don't you?" she suggested.

"I reckon I do."

She clapped her hands happily and led him the short distance to the front door to _Magical Menagerie. _She pulled her wand from inside her cloak and touched it to the door, and then led him upstairs.

Most of the animals were sleeping, the shop was protected against outside noise from a variety of charms. A few of the more nocturnal creatures were moving around, and Luna cooed to them softly as she passed through to the stairs that led up to her flat.

Once inside her flat, she cast the drying charm first on her cloak and then on the vibrant violet dress she was wearing underneath. "I think I need some tea. Or a bath." She looked up at the tall redhead who had followed her up. "Or both, maybe."

"Do you ever wear shoes?" he asked, grinning a little as he shook his head.

"Hardly ever." She watched him dry his own clothes, but his hair still stuck wetly to his head. "Would you like a towel?"

"No, thanks though. I'm going to have to go out in that again so I can Apparate back to the Ministry."

She closed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around his lean torso and resting her cheek against his chest. "What do you want for breakfast, Ronald?"

* * *

"I'm glad you weren't interested in me when we were at school." They were lying together in her bed, covered up with a brilliant orange duvet.

"Why's that?" He sounded a little shocked by her very matter-of-fact statement.

"You were all caught up in Hermione, for one. But sometimes you just weren't very nice. I don't think you liked me when we first met." She was on her side, propped up on one arm and tracing a pattern in the freckles on his bare shoulder with the other hand.

"I wouldn't say I didn't like you," he hedged. "You were a bit different than the other girls, that's all."

She nodded. "I'm still different from most people."

"A bit. But you grew on me." He started chuckling. "I still think you did the best Quidditch commentary I've ever heard."

She giggled. "I think you're the only one who thought so, Ronald. No one else seemed to appreciate it."

"Am I nicer now, then?"

"I think so. And you don't take up the whole bed, so that's nice."

He rolled onto his side so he was facing her. "It's good coming home to you after work."

"You could keep doing it," she suggested.

"What, you mean... move in?"

She nodded, her eyes a little wider in her earnestness.

He hesitated. "I don't know."

She smiled and leaned forward to give him a gentle kiss. "You don't have to if you don't want to."

"I didn't say that, it's just a bit... sudden, isn't it? We're not married or anything."

"Oh." Her brow furrowed as she looked at him. "Are we supposed to be married to live together?"

"I think so."

"Oh. All right." She gave him another gentle kiss. "I should probably go downstairs and get ready to open for the day, and you need some sleep."

He grabbed her arm and pulled until she landed on her back with a giggle. "Not yet," he said as he leaned over and lowered his mouth to hers.


End file.
